


Naptime

by Plumetta



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-16 12:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2269749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plumetta/pseuds/Plumetta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Effie and Haymitch get their little girl down for an over-due nap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Naptime

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own anything the universe belongs to Suzanne Collins.

Three year old Hailey Abernathy was playing with her dolls on the living room floor. Her Daddy was taking a nap in his chair. She wasn’t allowed to wake him up without ringing bells or banging pots and when he woke up like that he was cranky. She sat on the floor and quietly stared at him. He started to toss and turn in the chair but he didn’t wake up. She took the remote control and raised the volume of the TV a little, not so much that Mommy would come in and tell her to turn it down. He fussed a little more but didn’t open his eyes. She stood up and pretended to practice her tap dancing. Her father shook his head awake and said. “Hailey, can you practice in your room? Daddy has a headache.

Hailey took her shoes off and walked over to his chair. She said sweetly. “Lap, please.”

He picked her up and put her on his lap. He felt bad that she had to ask for a cuddle but he wasn’t like other daddies. She couldn’t hug him unless he was awake and saw her coming. She couldn’t climb on his lap uninvited. She couldn’t sleep in her parents’ bed when she had a nightmare unless her father left.

She snuggled so close to him pressed her ear against his chest. She was always trying to hear his heartbeat.

Haymitch looked at the clock, it was a half hour past her naptime. Effie was usually rigid about those things so that meant she was either on the phone or trying to cook something different for dinner. He hoped it was the phone, Katniss had left squirrels for them and he didn’t like them well prepared, Effie tended to burn them. He said to Hailey. “It’s time for little girls to go to sleep.

Hailey shook her head defiantly. “Hailey not tired.”

“Daddy just had a nap. I’m going to bring you upstairs.

Hailey pouted. “Don’t want to sleep in baby bed. Sleep in chair like Daddy. She reached for his arm and wrapped it around her.

“Rub and pat. She instructed.

He smiled. She was just like her mother, she’d listen to him but on her terms. He raised the footstool of his chair and slouched down a bit. He repositioned his daughter on his chest so he could easily rub her back. When she would get bored she’d fuss and kick her feet a little. He’d give her backside a few gentle pats and she’d usually fall asleep. Within two minutes she dozed off and he resumed rubbing her back. Effie came into the living room looking for Hailey.

“She was too quiet.” Effie whispered. I was going to put her down for a nap.

He stopped rubbing her and whispered. “She’s one step ahead of you.

“Do you want to carry her upstairs?

He shook his head. “No. I’m awake enough to let her sleep on me.

Hailey was turning and dug her knee into his stomach. He gave her bottom a few playful swats and one semi-firm one. “Settle down, it’s naptime” he whispered. She wrapped her arms around him and went back to sleep, he rubbed her back again.

“She loves cuddling with you. Effie said softly.

“Yeah, she loves the smell of liquor and unshaved chins.

Effie kissed him gently. “She’s like her mother.”

Effie was always amazed that his hands never seemed to tire when dealing with Hailey. After ten minutes her hands always hurt. She kicked out once in her sleep and hit her mother’s arm. His hand moved down a second later patting her backside with a couple of firm but mostly gentle pats.

“Why do you do that? Effie whispered.

He shrugged. ‘Because it works. My mother always used to do that when my brother was a baby. He was so fussy it always calmed him down. “It doesn’t hurt, despite what your mother thinks.

Effie laughed. “The first time Mother saw you she wanted to call a Peacekeeper. She said you were beating the baby.

“Your mother is crazy, what was funny was as soon as I stopped Hailey started crying.

“She adores you.

“Your mother hates me.

“Your daughter adores you.

“Well, she has good taste.

The two of them enjoyed watching their daughter and a few minutes later.

Hailey lifted her head to look into her Daddy’s eyes. “I had enough nap, Daddy.

“Okay, he picked her up to put her on the floor but she shook her head.

“Sit on lap, play dolls with me.

“Mommy is better at playing dolls. He said

“Yes, but I’ll be the Mommy and you be the Daddy.

Effie laughed as he was trapped into changing doll clothes, burping doll babies. She smiled as she watched Hailey put her dolls to sleep but rubbing their backs and patting their bottoms.


End file.
